Pre-Extracted Conversion Documentation
What is a Pre-extracted Conversion?
If the Conversions Department is unable to extract the data from a non-Henry Schein product they will
require that the data be sent in a pre-extracted format. Alternately, a customer may choose to submit
their data in a pre-extracted format to get the most data out of their non-Henry Schein product. Please
refer to the Headers.xls for what fields can potentially be converted. This will also assist the customer in
knowing what data to send in for conversion. It is required that a sample conversion be performed prior
to a live conversion when using pre-extracted data. This sample conversion can then be reviewed to
make sure that the data is converted to the customer’s expectations. Any concerns can then be
addressed prior to proceeding with a live conversion.
What is acceptable pre-extracted data?
Pre-extracted data will be accepted in several formats: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access or delimited
text files. The customer should work with their Sales Representative and Hardware Technician if they
are unsure how to extract the data or in what format to send it.
When submitting pre-extracted data it should be arranged by sheets if using Microsoft Excel or in
separate tables if using Microsoft Access. If delimited text files are used, each relevant section of data
should be stored in a separate file (example: Accounts.txt, Patients.txt, Insurance.txt, etc.).
Delimited Text Files
If the data is submitted via text files it is necessary that the files be delimited. A
delimited text file is one in which each line of text is a record. Each field in that record is
then separated by a known character called a delimiter. The character used as a
delimiter can be a comma, a pipe (|), quotes, or even a tab. The first record in each
delimited text file should be the headers for the fields.
The following is an example of the first three lines of a pipe delimited text file which
holds patient information.
AccountID|PatientID|LastName|FirstName|Phone
12345|12346|Doe|John|5551234567
12345|12347|Doe|Robert|5551237899
What is not acceptable pre-extracted data?
Any pre-extracted data that is not a delimited text file, Microsoft Excel file or Microsoft Access file may
be rejected by the Conversions Department. Some extraction types that should be avoided include
reports generated inside of the 3rd-party program, PDF and other image files, and data files.